Mullins Farrier Podcast

In this episode, I had the good fortune to sit and talk with both Craig and Bodie Trnka at the International Hoof-Care Summit in Cincinnati. Craig Trnka, CJF is the founder of the World Championship Blacksmiths, a past president of the American Farrier's Association and a member of the International Horseshoeing Hall Of Fame. Bodie Trnka CJF is a 2nd generation farrier who has been around horses and horseshoeing his whole life having trained under his father. He currently resides and practices in Minnesota, USA. I hope you enjoy this as much as I did!

In this episode, I had the opportunity to sit down at the International Hoof-Care Summit with Lance Sloman CJF. Lance has been the resident farrier at Spruce Meadows, the world-renowned show jumping venue, for 40 years. He has been shoeing since 1976 and resides and practices with his son, Connor, in Alberta, Canada. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

Welcome to the first instalment of The Love of Anatomy with Chris Gregory FWCF. This is a spin-off series of short anatomy focussed segments geared to help all of us with future certifications and become better farriers. This information and much more can be found in Chris' textbook Gregory's Textbook Of Farriery found on Amazon and in most Farrier Supplies worldwide. Enjoy!

Today I am speaking with Roy Bloom CJF. This interview has been a long time in the works. Dave Farley mentioned that I should interview Roy back when he was a guest on the podcast. At the Summit in Cincinnati, Dave Farley and I worked for three days to convince Roy that it would be a good idea to sit down and chat with me for the podcast and I am so grateful that he agreed. Roy Bloom started his journey in 1971 working for Rick Kreis. Rick encouraged Roy to go to North Texas Horseshoeing Institute. He did and graduated in May of 1973. Roy found the AFA in 1984. He completed his basic Certification in 1985 and Journeyman Certification in 1986. In 1989, Roy was the alternate on the American Farriers Team. In 1990, Roy had a position on the Gold team and the Silver team in 2001. Earning a position on the team changed everything for Roy and since then he has done clinics and classes in 40 states and 4 Canadian provinces. Roy was awarded the Outstanding Educator in 2001 by the AFA. Roy has both judged and presented for the AFA convention several times. Roy has judged competitions nationally and internationally including the WCB Horseshoeing Classic, the Australian Nationals, and the World Champion Blacksmith Competition at the World's Fair in Calgary, Alberta. Roy was inducted into the Horseshoeing Hall of Fame in 2001. He served as the Team Coordinator from 2009-2002 for the AFA Farriers Team. His journey has produced a great many articles for numerous trade magazines and along with Dave Farley has produced a number of instructional videos. Through many years as a farrier, Roy has perfected his forging skills and is recognized throughout the industry for his blacksmithing, tool production and great attention to detail. Roy is a founding member and served as the 2012 - 2018 Treasurer for the American, Canadian & International Associations of Professional Farriers. I hope you enjoy this episode as much as I did!

In this episode, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Michael Wildenstein CJF FWCF (Hons) at the International Hoof-Care Summit in Cincinnati, Ohio. Thank you to Dave Farley for the introduction. Michael was inducted into the International Horseshoers Hall of Fame in 2006. He is the former adjunct associate professor of Farrier Medicine and Surgery in the Department of Clinical Sciences of the College of Veterinary Medicine at Cornell University from 1991 - 2010. He specialized in the shoeing of lameness cases and heavy horses. He now spends much of his time coaching. Interested farriers, veterinarians or horse owners are welcome to call 607-279-7645 or email or [email protected] I hope you enjoy this interview as much as I did. Enjoy!

This episode was recorded at the International Hoof-Care Summit in Cincinnati. I was fortunate to sit down with fellow podcaster, Dr Simon Curtis for an amazing interview. Dr. Simon Curtis has been a practicing farrier in Newmarket for 44 years. He has lectured and demonstrated farriery in more than 30 countries on 6 continents including the USA, Australia, India, Russia, and Brazil. He is an author of 4 textbooks on farriery. He has been published in numerous journals. Simon is the only farrier to have been awarded an Honorary Associateship of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons. He is a Past Master of the Worshipful Company of Farriers (2001-2002) and has chaired the Farriers Registration Council (2006-9). He is a Fellow of the Worshipful Company of Farriers by examination (FWCF) and is currently an examiner. Simon is a 4th generation farrier; his family have been farriers and blacksmiths on the Cambridgeshire and Suffolk border for at least 150 years. In 2005 Simon was inducted into the International Farriers Hall of Fame at the Kentucky Derby Museum. He gained a First Degree, Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Farriery through Myerscough College, University of Central Lancashire in 2011 and completed a PhD degree in Equine Physiology and Biomechanics in 2017. In 2018 Simon Curtis was presented with the Sir Colin Spedding award for his contribution to equine knowledge and published The Hoof of the Horse. You can keep up to date with Simon's work on Facebook: facebook.com/drsimoncurtis Follow for useful information on farriery, how-to guides, book release news, future lectures, events and more! I hope you enjoy this as much as I did.

Hello, everyone. I hope you all had a safe and happy holiday season. I'm sure for many of you the next couple of weeks will involve a lot of catching up on the horses that you had to push over the holidays. Just before Christmas, I travelled to Ottawa, Ontario to give a clinic on breakover. Mark Struthers who graciously hosted the clinic at his farm suggested that, while I was in the neighborhood, I should do an interview with his mentor Terry Osborne CJF. Terry has always been a bit of a distant legend to me. He lives and works in an area five and a half hours from where I do, and until the clinic had never actually met the man. I had heard many stories about the quality work he did and the unhuman efficiency at which he did it. I also knew that he worked on many of the top horses in his region, and an interview was the perfect chance to meet and find out more about this enigmatic character that I had heard so much about. Before we start here's a brief bio provided by Terry Terry started shoeing in 1980. Over the years his clientele has evolved to primarily hunter jumper and dressage. He was an avid competitor and won the Ontario Highpoint in 1986 and 1992. Seeing the need for continuing education he was a founding member of the Ontario Farriers Association. He is at present a member of the AFA, AMFQ, AAPF and the NEAEP. Terry was part of a team that got three different horses onto the Canadian show jumping team. He's also an educator and a clinician. I was thankful to have the opportunity to sit down and have this conversation with Terry. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Hello everyone, as the year and this decade come to an end, I wanted to thank all of you for joining me on this little project of mine and listening in. I also wanted to thank everyone who spoke to me in person or reached out online to give their feedback on the podcast. It started out as just one of my many ideas, but because of you, it has grown into such an incredibly fulfilling thing. I have learned so many great applicable lessons from my guests, and their many achievements have really inspired me and many others to pursue our goals. Last year, as everyone asked me what my new year's resolution would be, I said one word, Kaizen. Kaizen is a Japanese word meaning change for better or continuous improvement. There's a lot of literature on this concept, and how it made the Japanese automakers and tech companies a driving force in their industries. It speaks of always looking for ways to improve even if they are small and incremental. It's a never-ending process or striving towards quality. When I first learned of it, I felt an immediate affinity to the word. I've always found that the times I've been the happiest in my life have been when I was working towards a goal. Things like learning a new skill set for a job, or writing and performing a new song. They required me to be consistently pushing myself to be better times when I would plateau, like say at a job that didn't require much mental bandwidth or room to grow, I will become bored and unhappy. That's what makes this career so fulfilling. If you plateau, you only have to look to someone with more knowledge in a certain aspect of the job like forging, toolmaking, lameness, evaluation, etc. and ask them to teach you more. For me, Kaizen actually meant going through all of the steps to start and maintain the podcast, and then starting the process of attempting my fits ASF and it meant attending more clinics and having more forge nights to improve my skill set. My challenge to you is to embrace the concept for your year 2020. Sign up for a pre-certification course. Heck, sign up for a certification! On a smaller scale instead of merely benefiting from their time savings, use resets as a chance to improve the shape of the feet you work on. Take the time to adjust the shoe, not the foot to the ideal you're aiming for. I know there are a lot of non-farriers tuning into some of these episodes as well. Why don't you sign up for a clinic or an online course you're interested in? I realized the time is always a precious commodity for any of us who work with horses. But I have experienced the energy creating power of doing these things myself. It's counterintuitive, but it works. That concludes my pushy speech... Well, almost… Did I mention you should aim to attend a certification this year? All right, maybe I did. But you should really just do it. You won't regret it. Before I sign off, I want to say a few words of thanks to the folks at Twisted Spur Media, especially Heather. It is safe to say that the podcast wouldn't be half of what it is without Heather's hard work and dedication. She tirelessly edits all of my scripts out of the episodes and ensures that the final product is always top-notch before it gets pushed out of the nest and flies on its own. I've been told she has a wicked blooper reel and I'm hoping she never pushes that one out to you. She is the wizard behind the curtain and I wouldn't be able to do this without her. Until next time, have a safe and Happy New Year. I can't wait to see what all of you are going to accomplish this year. Take care of yourselves and each other out there!

Today I have the pleasure of talking with Jonathan Nunn, FWCF. With over 34 years of farriery experience, Jonathan Nunn FWCF is based in Staffordshire England and has a multi farrier practice covering all aspects of farriery. Jon personally specialises in veterinary remedial work and performance horses nowadays. After many successful years in competitive farriery in the UK and internationally, Jon's simple, practical approach to horseshoeing is what he believes is key to maintaining soundness and good balance in the horses he trims and shoes. Jon attained his Fellowship of the Worshipful Company of Farrier's in 2017. As an examiner for the Worshipful Company of Farriers Jon is ever aware for the need to educate and share knowledge and techniques and is very much involved in educational events, regularly tutoring those wishing to attain higher farriery examinations. Jon was a late starter in the competition circuits as family life was a priority for him whilst his three children were younger and didn't start to compete again until he was aged 39, although he has always remained active in farriery education and competition organising. He met one of his mentors and friend Grant Moon who lived nearby and they forged and competed together at many national and international contests including the Calgary Stampede, winning rookie 2010, pot luck forging 2011 and 1st place in the World four-man draft team in 2013 and achieved top five in the World Championship also that year. From these practical experiences in competition, the learning curve was steep and fast and Jon has seized every opportunity to compete and further his knowledge of farriery. He now travels as a clinician representing Werkman Hoofcare and is involved with his own farrier tool making products with his son Josh Nunn Jonathan is the co-founder and chairman of The Farriers Foundation which is a registered charity which supports farriers and their families that have been injured or become ill and require financial help in times of hardship. Jon and his wife Sara run the charity from home with the help of five further trustees and run many events to support the charity which relies on donations and farrier fundraising activities.

In this episode, I speak with Russel J Floyd AWCF. Russell was born and grew up on Vancouver Island in the small town of Honeymoon Bay. He had a love for horses and the outdoors since he was old enough to walk. He went to Old's College farrier program in Alberta right out of High School and then attended an apprenticeship program with a farrier on the Island shoeing the Island carriage horses. Being in his early 20's at this time he searched for work and got on with an outfitter. This led to the next 10 years of guiding Big Game Hunts, Guiding Pack Trips and Instructing Guide Schools. Listening to the advice of a business mentor he started his own farrier practice in Prince George, which is just about in the middle of British Columbia, a place that is just about as wild as it can get. Pursuing certifications and competitions he recently just completed his Associate Worshipful Company of Farriers and is gearing up for this year's WCB finals in Las Vegas. He runs a successful farrier practice alongside his beautiful wife, Anya.

Live from the Ontario Farriers Convention in Orangeville Ontario, September 2019 Barney Cummings APF has been a horseshoer for over 40 years and has travelled extensively to do his craft including a time as the team farrier for Team Canada. Barney is a member of the Foot for Thought team and has endeavoured to educate horse owners over the years. In serving his passion for ongoing education, Barney has produced a series of web-hosted educational videos to inform the horse enthusiast. Barney is a member of the AAPF and the AFA and the OFA and takes advantage of the continuing education opportunities these associations provide. Barney was one of the first farriers in Ontario to set up a multi-farrier practice. He now works with his son but at one time had many members to his practice which is the main focus of this episode. What you might not know is that Barney is also a recording artist and obviously a multi-talented fellow. I have learned a lot from the interview and hope you do too. Enjoy!

In this episode, I sit down with Certified Journeyman Farrier Andrew DeVisser from Paris, Ontario, Canada. I was fortunate to have spent the entire day with Andrew prior to this interview where we discussed everything from shoeing theory and practices to business insights and methods. I hope you enjoy this interview as much as I did. Andrew DeVisser shoes primarily hunter/jumpers along with a healthy dose of Fox hunters and eventing horses. He has been shoeing for 10.5 years, attended Butler Professional Farrier School and served an apprenticeship under Leo Chapman of Milton, Ontario. He has always worked towards improving his skills through competition and certification. Through a lot of hard work Andrew was able to pass his CJF at the age of 23. Andrew continues to compete as time allows with 4 kids at home. Andrew loves shoeing horses and has taken a special interest in the business side of shoeing horses. Andrew is giving a business talk at the Ontario Farriers Convention this upcoming weekend September 26 – 28, 2019 in Orangeville, Ontario

In this episode, I want to touch on a subject that is very important to me. As the Summer season draws to a close I know that many of us are experiencing some degree of burnout. I figured this would be a good issue to address and give some tips and tricks on burnout that have come from some of our guests so far and based on personal research and experience. To close out this episode we are fortunate to have Jarrod Morris allow us to play the single from his latest album West of East. Enjoy listening to Coyote. Jarrod is a fellow farrier and musician. Jarrod's Facebook pages describes him as "a Country/Americana songwriter that writes about his authentic experiences so that his music to be relatable & relevant to his listeners. Writing is the core of Jarrod's music. He believes when you write a song, you have a deeper connection to the music. As he says, "Something very special happens there." Jarrod doesn't want to be pigeonholed into any one genre. His music is anything he likes to play with a nice melody and an original hook. No fluff– just raw and real, with a little grit." How to find his music? Jarrod Morris – Website Jarrod Morris – Facebook Jarrod Morris – Twitter Jarrod Morris – iTunes Jarrod Morris – Instagram Permission to use Coyote granted by ©Jarrod Morris Music

In this episode, I sit down with Andrea Dubé DVM. When we first met, I was immediately impressed by Andrea. She is an equine veterinarian who currently practices in the Greater Toronto Area of Ontario, Canada. Dr. Dubé is one of the masterminds of our local Foot For Thought Veterinarian/Farrier Group, a colleague and friend. Dr. Andrea Dubé is a 2007 graduate of Atlantic Veterinary College in P.E.I. After interning at New England Equine Practice in Patterson, NY she remained as an associate for 4 ½ years, practicing predominantly sport horse medicine, thoroughbred and warmblood breeding and geriatrics; working both in the hospital and on the road. From there, she returned briefly to the Maritimes where she enjoyed the company of cows, standardbred broodmares and draft horses. Subsequently, Andrea moved back to New York and practiced at Mid-Hudson Veterinary Practice in Carmel for 2 years in predominantly sport horse practice and reproduction before returning to her roots here in Canada. Dr. Dubé's passion is breeding (including mare and foal medicine) followed closely by sport horse practice and geriatric medicine. I hope you enjoy this as much as I did!

Today, I'm speaking with Ray Matthews. Before meeting Ray, I only knew him by his reputation of being the expert on trimming foals. This was because of his time spent as the resident farrier at Windfield's Farm in Oshawa, Ontario. Windfield's was a giant thoroughbred breeding operation that had over 700 horses at its peak. Through his time there, Ray's focus was on improving the rotational and angular limb deformities that would inevitably come up in a breeding operation of that size. I finally got to meet Ray in person at a Foot for Thought clinic we held this spring where he imparted much of his wisdom on an engaged crowd of roughly 50 farriers and vets. I was so impressed with his presentation that I felt many other farriers needed to hear the lessons Ray shared with us so I approached him with my idea of doing an interview. Several months later we found ourselves at the same horse show for a short window of time, so we quickly organized a sit-down. A great farrier and friend Mark Struthers and his partner Lauren Hunkin of Synergy Farm were gracious enough to lend us their dressing room, so please pardon all of the horse show noise is going on in the background. I think you will find that they added some great ambience to the conversation. Ray started shoeing in 1970 and spent 12 years shoeing mixed breeds from quarter horses to gaited horses. Then he was hired on as the resident farrier at Windfields farm where he was responsible for up to 750 horses during each breeding season. His main focus was the foals through two yearlings for the sales. He became a CJF in 1984 and then an AFA examiner for about 12 years. After three years as the resident farrier at Windfield's, he went back to private practice but still retained Windfields as a client at their request. In the mid-nineties, he moved to the U.S. for a year and then settled in the Hudson/St Lazare area of Quebec where he shod mostly dressage horses. He has done some lecturing, consulting and clinics over the years. He started to cut back on his workload about 15 years ago and now he was fully retired. As I suspected Ray had a lot of great advice to share in our conversation. Even the horse in the stall behind us seemed to get excited a time or two punctuating Ray's good points with it loud whinny. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

In this episode I sit down with Sara Vanderpol, CJF. I have run into Sara many times over the years at shoeing competitions, clinics and conventions. Each time she had a new credential with the AFA or had stepped up into the Open Category or she had just made the Canadian Farrier's Team or she had just come back from working in the UK. On and on she just kept setting the bar higher and higher for her peers. I was always inspired and admittedly sometimes jealous of her achievements and her neverending search for another challenge. Sara began her career in 2011 and currently operates her business out of Elora, Ontario and shoes dressage horses, hunters and pleasure horses. Recommended Books and Links: The Obstacle Is the Way: The Timeless Art of Turning Trials into Triumph by Ryan Holiday Edward Martin Cultural Exchange – Travis Vern Powell Stratum Tectorium Most Gifted Book: Gregory's Textbook Of Farriery by Chris Gregory Favourite Work Boots: Wolverine Favourite Rasp: Heller XL legend Lime green Dream Farrier Rig: Stonewell Full Body Favourite Rounding Hammer: Derek Gardner 2 1/4 lb hammer with gamma tennis wrap Favourite Bar Stock: 3/8 X 1 Gas or Diesel Truck: Gas Favourite Pastime: sleep Next On Your Bucket List: Find enjoyment in other things in life outside of horses. Favourite Brand Of Keg Shoe: Kerckhaert DF Leather or Synthetic Pad: leather Favourite Type Of Horse To Work On: A good one! Ideal # Of Horses To Shoe All Around In One Day: 3 or 4 Favourite Anvil: Round Horn Legend 120 lb Favourite Quote: none Accounting Software: pencil and paper Favourite Jeans: Silvers Favourite App: text messages Preferred Social Media Platform: Facebook Favourite Drink: Sommersby strawberry kiwi cider Brand of Phone: iPhone 5s Do You Have Injury Insurance? Not yet Planner: paper day planner Method To Soothe Aches And Pains: yoga Favourite Music: Heavy metal and rock /classical or pop Do You Workout? Yoga Do You Meditate? In the truck while I drive What Would You Have Been If Not A Farrier? Veterinarian

Today I am speaking with Dave Farley. Dave is a well known and sought after farrier in the Sporthorse world. He is also well known and respected in the farrier world as a generous educator. Many a farrier and vet have ridden in the truck with Dave and his son Jay for a day of mentorship. I met Dave over dinner in Wellington one night and I was amazed at how much information he shared. He imparted upon me decades of knowledge for the mere cost of a dinner at Chilli's. Dave's passion for the job started when he was just 7 years old when he visited the local Blacksmith and Coal Mine Tool Maker shop in 1961. By thirteen he was nailing on shoes. In the seventies, he took over a Farrier Shop at the county fairgrounds in Coshocton, Ohio where he worked on Standardbreds. On the recommendation of a veterinarian named Dr. Gable, he then started working at Ohio State University as the resident farrier. Then in the eighties, as the standardbred industry started to dwindle he started working on Hunter/Jumper and Dressage horses in Columbus, Ohio. His quest for knowledge has never dwindled and he credits his first two mentors Mr. Fritz Bookman and Mr. Frank McGinnis for instilling in him this desire to learn and to pass it on. Dave's list of accomplishments is long, so here are just a few of many: Past Resident Farrier at Ohio State University Farrier Instructor at Otterbein College Farrier for the American Quarter Horse Congress First Official Farrier of the National Reining Horse Association American Farriers Association "Clinician of the Year" Founding member of the North East Association of Equine Practitioners Founding Member of both the American Association of Professional Farriers and of the International Association of Professional Farriers as well as past president of both Member of the International Horseshoeing Hall of Fame He has also shod several horses competing in several Olympic Games I was very excited to have the opportunity to interview Dave. He has a lot of well-earned wisdom we all could benefit from. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. So let's get to it….

Today I'm speaking with Cathy Lesperance. Cathy shoes many high-level sport horses in Ontario, Canada. Her clients have flown her far wide, to such places as Florida and Alberta to service their horses. She is 56 years old and lives with her partner Renee and their two very large dogs. She has loved horses since she could remember. She owned, rode and showed horses for years, from barrel racing to reining to eventing. She started her shoeing career in 1981 by apprenticing with Pat Cullen who is now deceased. She later apprenticed with Larry Lesperance, who she then married 7 years later. Larry set out on another career of running a group home for troubled boys and Cathy took over the shoeing business. It was a very scary time for her, but she still had Larry for his support and expertise. They later divorced when she was 36 as the group home life had taken a toll on their relationship. Cathy's mentor over the past several decades has been and still is Dave Farley. As I'm sure will become very apparent in the interview, Cathy is a genuinely kind, intelligent, and funny human being. She has a lot of experience that she graciously shares and her brutal honesty is both comedic and endearing. Now let's get to it…

Today I'm speaking with Cody Gregory. Cody has been one of my most influential teachers since I have been attending Heartland Horseshoeing School. We have this unusual dynamic where he is considerably younger than I am, yet I very much look up to him. Just like his Father, he has become an inspiring role model for me. Cody trimmed his first pony and made his first shoe when he was four, and shod his first horse all around when he was eight. He became the youngest Certified farrier with the AFA at the age of 14 and the youngest CJF at the age of 15. Later, at the age of 19, he became an Associate of the Worshipful Company of Farriers. An avid competitor, Cody won his first belt buckle at the age of 6. He was the alternate on the American Farrier's Team in 2012 and won first place in the International Alternates Class in Stoneleigh that year. From 2013 to 2015 he earned a spot on the World Championship Blacksmith team where they won the world title in 2015 and he was the WCB national champion in 2014. Cody was also the top placing American at the World Championship Blacksmiths Competition in 2013. Just as you will hear him say in the interview, Cody's brain doesn't work the same way as other people's do. When he says that, it's not to be pretentious, its just a fact. His ideas come fast and frequently, but if you can keep up with him, the insights you gain through his philosophies on shoeing and learning are fruitful. I especially liked his concept of "getting to the point that you are ready to ask the right question". I hope you learn as much as I did in this interview. So let's get to it…

Welcome to the very first episode of the Mullins Farrier Podcast. My first guest, Chris Gregory was a natural choice for me. Chris has been my mentor and teacher for many years now. He is a role model in every sense of the word. He has continuously held himself to impossibly high standards and has always achieved them. Each new goal forcing him to get better and learn something new. With each accomplishment, he takes the opportunity to pass on what he has learned. Chris has been a professional horseshoer since 1987. He holds several academic degrees, including a masters degree in human resource development, two bachelor's degrees (with a minor) and an associates degree. He has been a member of the American Farrier's Team, competed 18 times at the world championships Blacksmith Competition in Calgary and has been in the top ten at that contest. He earned his CJF from the AFA in 1991 and the title of Fellow of the Worshipful Company of Farriers at the age of 30. He is also the first American to be an examiner for a WCF exam. Chris is the creator of the FITS farrier exam system that has been adopted in Brazil, Africa, Australia, New Zealand, and in North America as well. 1000's of students have graduated from Heartland Horseshoeing School that Chris runs with his wife Kelly, son Cody, Cody's wife Kirsty, daughter Jaqueline, and her husband Cameron. I'm sure you will agree that if this whole shoeing thing doesn't pan out, Chris could have a promising career in Radio. His voice would be perfect for one of those late night call-in radio shows "This Is Lovers and Other Strangers with your host Chris Gregory" So let's get to it…